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Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders made a point of calling out Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder at the Democratic presidential debate Sunday night over the Flint water crisis

Snyder responded with a series of tweets

Washington (CNN)Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders made a point of calling out Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder at the Democratic presidential debate Sunday night over his handling of the tainted water crisis plaguing Flint, Michigan.

President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Flint on Saturday, and the attorney general there has pledged to investigate. Sanders had already called on Snyder, a Republican, to step down, but Clinton used the opportunity of her closing statement at the debate to argue that if the crisis had happened in a rich Detroit suburb, Snyder would have been quicker to act.

Clinton said she sent a top campaign aid to meet with the mayor of Flint and said she had gone on a TV show to call for action.

"I think every single American should be outraged," Clinton said. "We've had a city in the United States of America where the population, which is poor in many ways and majority African-American, has been drinking and bathing in lead-contaminated water. And the governor of that state acted as though he didn't really care."

Sanders repeated his call for Snyder to resign.

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"Secretary Clinton was right and what I did, which I think is also right, is demanded the resignation of the governor. A man who acts that irresponsibly should not stay in power," Sanders said.

Snyder responded quickly with a series of tweets, including one which read, "Political statements and finger pointing from political candidates only distract from solving the Flint water crisis."

Political statements and finger pointing from political candidates only distract from solving the Flint water crisis.